Introduction

Innovation is currently a very important part of development in most countries,

particularly in middle income states such as Brazil, China and South Africa
(Reynolds & Schneider, 2019, p. 1). These countries continue to use traditional
industry policy to advance their domestic sectors business sector (Ibid). Significant
innovations in urban regional planning are entrenched in practice scientific
discoveries, progressive creative and technical achievements in the arena of
development and the formation of the built environment. These innovations
determine long-term prospects of spatial organization of settlement systems and
settlements.

This assignment will examine the technical, scientific and artistic achievements in
urban planning that has been achieved in three different regions, namely Africa,
Asian and South America. The urban planning innovation that will be explored are in
the following countries in no particular order, China in Asia, Brazil in South America
and Rwanda in Africa. The objective of the analysis is to explore how the three world
regions went about to achieve their key town planning objectives and targets. It is
critical to analyse how the different regions can learn from each other on how to best
improve their current spatial planning and design for developmental purposes (Sipe
& Vella 2017).

First after the introduction, the essay will provide a background to planning
innovation, followed by an exploration of planning innovations in the three world
regions, thereafter, proposals are looked into in relation to innovative planning in the
southern region of Africa and lastly a summary is given through a conclusion.

Background to planning innovation

Four key principles always centre around urban planning innovation. These are
viewed as key or the core framework to find the best possible innovation solutions to
urban problem. This includes;

 Unleashing spare capacity. This focuses on reusing already existing urban

structures or resources which are not used. This provides a solution for
upcycle, reuse and recycle.
  Cutting out the perks. The use of advanced technology to reduce resource
burden in terms of energy, transport and water.
 Small scale infrastructure. This includes the use of small areas or scale to
provide infrastructure which provides significant resources such as trees and
cycle lanes. These small scale areas are key to urban areas.
 People centred innovation. Citizens play a key role in the development and
advancement of a city. Innovative urban planning must seek to advance
people. It should be suitable and universal for all abilities and ages, this
addresses the concept of universal planning and ensuring equal acess. (Sipe
& Vella 2017).

Planning innovation in the different regions

Eco-City Establishments in China

Williams (2017), presents that one of China’s eco-city Wuxi City has become the
most ecological protection city. In the year 2009, the Ministry of Environmental
Protection has declared and recognised Wuxi City as an Eco City due to the fact that
is has 75 parks in the downtown areas. Currently is has established more ecological
parks in order to try and protect the environment (Williams, 2017). There’s a current
project in the city, which is aimed at building more 23 parks. The city’s greening rate
is growing fast and play a major role in green coverage rate. The city has dedicated
enough resources to ecological parks development. The city is also previously
referred as the “National Forest City”. Below is a clear image on how China has
established and developed its Eco Parks and Eco City.
China Eco City Design.

Rwanda’s Eco-City Progress

Rwanda has progressively implemented two major projects on site, which is Cactus
Green Park and the second one is the green affordable housing projects. The green
building technology projects aimed at using technology to advance key housing key
economic needs such electricity. It seeks to reduce polluting materials in
construction of green buildings. Key social facilities within the city should be using
green energy and in order to reduce C02 emissions and create enough green and
sustainable jobs. Although with this project has been initiated, it has not fully yielded
the eco city results as planned and required. The government has however provided
enough funds and resources in order to contribute to innovative urban planning
through Eco City (GGGI, 2020).

The Greenest city of Curitiba in Brazil

According to Kahn, (2007), the city of Curitiba has increased its green space
exponentially within a short space of time. This was achieved through tree planting
and also creating about 28 ecological parks. Although the city’s population has
tripled in the past 20 to 25 years. In the past the City has experienced radical floods
and rains, therefore a greenbelt was established and developed in order to circle the
city. The City is one of the 3rd largest and green city in the world, with one of the
greenest in South America. The City has combined great social, economic and
environmental initiatives which includes recycling facilities. Citizens get bus tokens
for recycling and foods. As such this produced sustainable jobs for local residents.

Urban High-Speed Railway in China

China’s has invested and build the biggest high-speed rail network in the whole
world due to high population. This has played a major role in changed transport
patterns on the city’s urban development. This brought positive increases in the city’s
tourism and as well as economical growth. Due to high speed railway systems in in
China most people are able to travel much easier and safely. This provides less
greenhouse emissions and contributes to environmental protection (Hao Gu, 2019).

Metro Line in Brazil

Brazil’s metro line 4 was developed in order to transport at least about one million
people in a day. This innovative approach was one of its first Brazil’s public private
partnership project. This was designed with an advanced risk demand sharing
structure. This was constructed as well on already existing and operating systems.

The metro line live has improved the quality of urban transport users as claimed by
Pulido, etc. (2018). The following improvements have been noted;

 There’s a reduction of 50% peak hour

 Reduced travel time
 Provide safety, comfort and latest technology.
 Integration of the transport system with air stations, air buses and bus
terminal
 Job creation from local residents.

Unlike China where the Railway system is full operations the Brazilian Metro 4 Line
is not fully complete yet. Some station access tunnels are still under construction.
Metro Line 4 incomplete projects.

Kigali’s route allocation in Rwanda

In the country’s effort to fix the public transport system, the government has
deployed high capacity vehicles on the city’s busy and national roads. Public
transport service providers have been allocated specific city roads on a contract
basis. This provides safety to all road users and passengers. Unlike China and
Brazil, the country relies on high capacity fleet in order to minimize road congestion.
Specific routes are designed for specific transportation (Booth, 2012).

Rwanda housing project

The government has provided advanced and innovative access to affordable houses
in urban areas. The housing units are constructed as one big unit in order to save
costs and yet provide safe housing to residents. This was build using
environmentally friendly materials and yet at an affordable rate (Booth, 2012). The
building projects has been designed within local services such as schools, health
facilities and shopping malls. The location of such housing projects provides an easy
access to services and critical facilities.

Rwanda housing projects which is aimed at affordable and safe building.

Medical tourism facilities in Brazil

The capital city of Sao Paulo leads Brazil regarding medical tourism facilities, which
the government has invested. The city is innovatively the centre of wellness retreats
for neighboring countries which includes; Canada, US and others. The cosmetic
surgeons in Sao Paulo are one of the best in the globally, regardless of the fact that
the associated rates are well below the most expensive. The innovative urban
structure of the private healthcare sector has provided a great opportunity for local
residents and medical specialists to be part of the economic growth and impact of
medical tourism (Hajime, 2015).

Hajime, (2015), claims that an upwards of 50,000 medical tourists visit Brazil every
year, and that figure alone testifies to the assurance the global community has in this
country's skill to diagnose and heal. A successful tourism sector ensures comfortable
accommodation during recovery.
The city is an important and attractive place to recover for those who have
undergone slight outpatient procedures that don't need important healing. Sao Paulo
is a thriving metropolis with remarkable architecture, museums and late hours
entertainment (Hajime, 2015).

China’s model of healthcare

According to Barton and Tsourou (2013), in 2017, the ministry of health introduced a
new advanced and innovative model or approach to Intergrated health care system
for the entire country. The model is called Luohu model which was initiated in
Shenzhen City Luohu District. This was addressing the current urban design of
health care facilities, which is a worldwide problem. The initiation of the Luohu model
provided a people-centred integrated care delivery system through proper urban
planning. This signified a big step in tracking higher quality health care, better results
and more inexpensive costs for the population in China. As such residents were
able to reach primary health care services as a first point of contact (Barton and
Tsourou 2013).

Health Care in Rwanda

By 2009, the Rwandan Authorities had enhanced access to primary health services
primarily through infrastructure development and extension of a community-based
health insurance program. Geographic admittance to care was relatively well
distributed, with 75 percent of the nation’s population staying within 5 kms of a health
centre. The facilities were built in such a way that they accommodate new developed
medical technology. As such this provided much effective research development in
the medical fraternity in the country (GGGI, 2020).

Proposed innovative ideas for Southern Africa

High Speed railway systems

Most Southern African commercial areas must be connected through high speed
train network which will provide better and advanced economic movement of goods,
services and people. This will also assist in transport cost reduction and road safety,
as well as relieving traffic congestion of current and future system. High speed rail
way systems play a major economic role area highly populated areas like
Johannesburg, Harare, Gaborone and other major cities (Riggs, 2018).

The South African government has constructed a much better railway system known
as Gautrain which moves from Pretoria through different major towns like Sandton,
Centurion, through to Johannesburg Park-Station. This however is not sufficient to
relief the traffic congestion mostly on the National Roads. As such much more
railway systems must be established in order to provide more alternative transport
solution in key major cities of the Southern African Region. This requires much more
than investment into the transport system (Riggs, 2018).

N1 Road Congestion during peak hours.

Southern African Eco-City

In modern Urban planning, ecological or environmental protection is a key
component in curbing out the risks of climate change. Southern Africa countries must
start developing and establishing ecological parks which are kept and serviced in the
best interest of ecological and environmental protection. Each country must set key
ecological objectives and targets which are achievable and reasonable. Old
infrastructure must be renovated in taking consideration to green building materials.
Each Region must set a greening rate which plays a major role in green coverage
rate. Each city has to dedicate enough resources to ecological parks development.
This will yield to green job creation, which are sustainable and environmentally
friendly.

Green building Technology

Regions should adopt sustainable development in Africa in order to confront

numerous challenges with regards to building and development. Every spatial
development in the Region must be consider sustainable development and the fact
that environmental biodiversity is on the decline due to climate and anthropogenic
activities. A new level needs to be injected or initiated for sustainability in the build
environment to lead the direct adoption of cutting-edge approaches, incorporated
and building practices. As discussed above in the developing world, sustainable
development signifies a rather different sense (this my own wording)

With all the plans of third world nations focused on dealing with fundamental
development matters for instance water shortage, economic development, foods
security, and wellbeing, other social and environmental elements are viewed as
minor at best and for the most part a luxury that a developing country cannot affords.
Most parts of Southern African region’s building practices usually display slight
regard for energy saving or the larger economic, social or environmental effects of
the built environment and innovative urban planning practice. Green building will
however try to break with these conventional practices. Green building will
incorporate numerous urban building design, construction projects, and as well as
operation and maintenance approach to provide much healthier living and cooperate
environments and decrease environmental effects (this my own wording) .
Important to the attainments of green building in Southern African Regions,
implementation to effective use of combined design principles a whole building-
systems technique, which like China model of urban design which can bring together
the important stakeholders and design or project specialists as the main team to
operate collaboratively from the beginning planning stages. Green building approach
or models are shouldn’t restricted to market niche, or one sort of building or,
geographic place or business philosophy. Significantly, green building should be
observed as element of extensive urban development plans aimed toward growth of
sustainable communities with emphasis on integrating green building with
sustainable urban infrastructure for transportation, electric and gas utilities, potable
water, waste disposal and recycling, storm water and wastewater management and
sewage (this my own wording).

Summary,

Various regions should look into focusing their budgets and development policies in
order to advance the the Regional Urban Development practice. Different Research
institutions and local architectural entities should join government and chant a way
forward on how best such innovative solutions or practices can be in cooperated into
the current scope of urban planning. Policy framework should always consider issue
of global concerns such as environmental protection and labour provision. As
explained in the introduction, any innovative development should be people centred.
Private partnership must be established in order to enhance development and urban
planning. High tech must be sourced in order to Fastrack and speedup the process.

The following table provides a summary of innovative urban development projects

which have been discussed above.

Region Innovative Urban Planning Projects

China High Speed Railway Eco City with the top rate Urban Medical or
Health Model
Brazil Metro Line 4 at 95% Advance Eco City at Eco Tourism
Complete Curitiba Medicine
 infrastructure
Rwanda Dedicated Route Developing building Developing Urban
System to heavy public project with green building and Rural Advance
transport Technology Medical Facilities

Reference

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2020].
Kahn, M., 2007. Green Cities: Urban Growth and the Environment. 2nd ed.
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